


Come Back to Me

by bzarcher



Series: Rising Swan (The Odette AU) [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Nightmares, Odette!AU, PTSD, Post-Talon, Trauma Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-08-15 02:10:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8038084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bzarcher/pseuds/bzarcher
Summary: Sleepless nights turned comforting, then sleepless again.





	Come Back to Me

Odette Lacroix couldn’t sleep.

She’d tried to get comfortable and rest, but her body itched thanks to the treatments that Mercy was using to slowly restore her attenuated sense of touch. Bedsheets felt like sandpaper, and even the loose nightclothes she’d been wearing had been torturous.

Mercy had prescribed some medication to help with pain and discomfort during the process, but taking it made her uncomfortable. Her thoughts felt slower, like she was trying to move them through thick fog, and she felt clumsy under its influence. Just thinking about being in that state made her uncomfortable, stirred up memories best left buried.

_Men in surgical gowns placing needles into her arms – colors and noises assaulting her mind – the sensation of little ants marching through her body – shards of red hot glass being thrust into her eyes – everything’s so cold_

Odette hadn’t even realized she’d screamed until Lena burst through her door, a pistol in hand.

“Odette?! What’s happened?”

Her throat felt raw, and she had to force herself to swallow twice before she could speak. “ _Cauchemars.”_

“Oh,” Lena said softly. She set the pistol down on top of the dresser, then walked to the bed. It took a moment for Odette to realize she was wearing nothing but her accelerator and a pair of tight white shorts. She hoped the soft blue light coming from the harness would conceal the heat she felt rising on her cheeks, but for once Lena didn’t tease her lover as she climbed into bed with her.

“Is this OK?” Lena’s eyes carefully searched hers, fingers gently touching Odette’s cheek. “Will this help?”

Wordlessly, Odette nodded, and shifted over in the bed a bit to help make room for them both. Lena carefully moved one pillow to cushion Odette’s body from the hard edges of her harness, then gently nestled in with her, keeping her voice low as she made sure that she wasn’t causing any more distress.

In truth, the extra sensations and the heat of her skin were uncomfortable, physically, but Odette craved the reassurance of her presence, her existence a reminder of what was real and what was not.

_This is now. I am no longer theirs. I am myself, and myself alone._

The smaller woman gently kissed her cheek, as if sensing that line of thought. “You’re safe here, luv. I promise.”

Odette nodded, biting her lip slightly as her racing heart finally came back under control. Wordlessly, she brought an arm around Lena’s back, and let the sound of their breathing finally ease her into sleep.

* * *

She wasn’t sure how long she finally slept, but a tightness around her waist woke her again, the sounds of Lena’s voice murmuring insistently in her ears.

“ATC, X-ray Foxtrot 551, can you receive?”

 Lena’s eyes were still closed, but her face, normally so childlike when she slept, was tight with fear.

“ATC, X-ray Foxtrot 551, there’s been a malfunction. Losing drive control! Can you hear me?”

Her arms had wrapped around them at some point during the night, and Odette winced as the accelerator harness pressed hard into her ribs as Lena tightened her grip. Oxton’s arms were wrapped around her like steel bars – trying to break her hold would almost certainly hurt them both.

Leaning over as best as she could, Odette tried to keep her voice soft and reassuring. “Lena, it’s not real. _Tu es en sécurité. Je suis ici. Nous sommes en sécurité. Revenez à moi, ma chérie._ ”

Lena’s mind was locked in her own memories, the tone of her voice growing more urgent. “X-ray Foxtrot 551, squawking 777 on the guard channel. X-ray Foxtrot 551 declaring an emergency. Repeat, declaring an emergency!”

Her grip loosened enough for Odette to free the arm not trapped between their bodies, and she immediately began stroking the Englishwoman’s back, carefully avoiding the straps of the accelerator. “Shh. _Tu es à la maison. Tout va bien maintenant, je le promets. Répondez moi plus tard._ ”

Lena made a distressed noise, but slowly settled, her face relaxing again. Odette continued to gently caress her back until her breathing evened once again, finally getting back to sleep herself as the first hint of sunrise began to peek through the curtains.

* * *

Lena looked embarrassed as she stepped out of the en suite’s shower, towel wrapped around her hips.

“Sorry about last night,” she apologized, gesturing to the angry red marks on Odette’s side where the harness had bitten in against her. “Those, too.”

Odette shook her head as she sat up, swinging her legs off the bed. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. How often does that happen?”

Lena shrugged, the motion doing quite interesting things to her chest. “Not as often as it used to.”

“You should talk to Dr. Ziegler.”

“Oh, Angie knows. I guess I should let her know it happened again, though.”

Odette nodded, then looked away, a lavender blush rising. “Did…could you hear me?”

Lena’s smile was just a bit shy. “Not exactly. But…it was easier to find my way back, that time. Whatever you said, I think it helped.”

Odette’s skin was still aflame with pins and needles, but that had nothing to do with the warmth she felt spread through her.

**Author's Note:**

> My French is mostly a mix of kitchen terminology and Quebecois swearing from Habs games, so I probably butchered most of it. Translation help always appreciated if you spot something particularly bad. My radio jargon's also about half TV and half stuff from novels, so if anyone wants to correct that I'm just as happy to listen. :)
> 
> As mentioned in comments, I'm not done with these two yet - my brain's bouncing between four or five things right now, but I'll probably put a few updates in here and there until it tells me I'm done.
> 
> Go check out my story 'Presque vu' if you're confused about why the former Widowmaker has a new name.


End file.
